Vehicle brake



SPt- 27 1938- F. T. CHRISTIAN 2,131,532

VEHICLE BRAKE Filed April 16, 1937 .TH MFM! inks,

9 L? l v I INVENTOR i Ulli/Less: fan/c .7 /iM//o/Qfmg/ BY Ma.

TTORNEY.

Patented Sept.'y 27, 1938 VEHICLE BRAKE 'Frank T. christian,'E|mn-a, N. Y., assigner to Eclipse Machine Company, Elmira, N. Y., a c orporation of New York Application April 16, 1937, Serial No. 137,316

3 Claims.

The present invention relates to vehicle brakes and more particularly to coaster brakes for blcycles, velocipedes and the like.

In that type of coaster brake which incorporates an expansible cylindrical brake member such as used in the device k'nown commercially as the Morrow brake,- constructed substantially in accordance with the disclosure in the patent to Morrow No. 906,149, patented December 8, 1908,

a certain amount of difficulty has been encountered in connection with fracturing of the brake cylinder Adue to the cumulative effect of repeated expansion and contraction thereof. Extended investigation of this phenomenon has indicated that such failures are .due to a fatigue of the metal at points of localized stress, in conjunction with the existence of minute superficial imperfections or scratches on the hardened surfaces of the brake. It is, an object of the present invention to provide a novel expansible brake member which is efficient and reliable in operation over long periods of use.

It is another object to provide such a device which is so formed as to prevent localization of stresses.

It is a further object to provide such a devize which is so constructed as to avoid superficial formations conducive to the start of fractures or lines of failure.

A Further objects and advantages will be apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing in which: Fig. 1 is a side elevation partly broken away and in section of a coaster brake incorporating a preferred embodiment of the invention; and

Fig. 2 is a detail in perspective of an expansible brake cylinder constructed -in`accordance with the invention.

Referring rst to Fig. 1 of the drawing, there-- is illustrated a coaster brake of the Morrow type including a fixed axle shaft l, a brake anchor member 2 threaded thereon, a brake supporting and actuating member 3 loosely mounted on the axle and adapted to be moved into clutching engagement with the anchor member, a driving member 4 journalled on the axle as indicated at 5 and having threaded thereon a brake actuating nut 6. A cylindrical brake member 1 rests at its ends on the brake actuating members 3 and 6 and is provided with longitudinal slots 8 and 9 extending alternately from opposite `ends of 'the brake cylinder and having"` flared portions II and I2 adapted to be engaged by tapered expanding forrnly along (ci. 18a-25o) lugs lIii and I4 on the clutch operating members 3 and 6 respectively.

According to the present invention, the slots 6, and 9 -terminate in triangular openings I5 and I6, the bases I1 and I6 of which triangles are ar- 5 ranged circumferentially'of the cylinder whereby strips or bands 'I9 and 2| of substantially uniform cross section are formed joiningv the segments into which the cylinder is divided by the slots 6 and 9. The bases I1, I8 of the triangular open- 10 I ings are merged smoothly into the sides thereof by means of curved fillets 22, 23, 24 and 25, and

the surfaces of thebases and fillets are smoothed and polished and their edges rounded to ensure 4that there are no sharp edges, scratches or pits 15 which might form the starting point of a crack or line of failure. t e

A hub member 26 having an interior cylindrical surface of slightly greater diameter than the nor- A mal diameter of the brake member 1 is journalled 20 at one end on the anchor member 2 as indicated at'21, and at its other end on the driving member 4 as indicated at 29. A driving connection between the driving member 4 and hub 26 is providedin the form of segmental clutch members 25 29 adapted to be. wedged into engagement withf' the interiorA of the hub by means of the adjacent tapered portions of lugs I4 on the nut 6.

In the operation of the brake, backward rotation of the driving member 4 causes the brake 30 actuating nut 6 to move to the left in Fig. l, thus moving the brake assembly to the left until the actuating member 3 enters into clutching engagement with the anchor member 2. Further movement of the nut 6 to the left causes the wedges 35 I3 and. I4 of the members 3 and 6 to enter the flared portions II, I2 of .the slots 8, 9` of. the brake sleeve, thus expanding the sleeve into fi'ic-v tional engagement with the interior of the hub.

During this expansive action 'of the brake cylin- 4,0

der 1, the iiexure ofthe connections-between the segments is distributed .substantially unithe, connecting strips I9, 2l by reason of their'substantially uniform cross section. There is thus no localization of stress, and 45 l the bending moments are well within the elastic limit of the material so that there is no danger of fatigui'ng lthe metal. The elimination of sharp corners, edges and all other'features conducive to the starting of lines of failure also con- 50 tributes to the improved operation of the device.

lIt has been found by exhaustive tests of this structure in comparison with the structure utilizing, circular openings at the ends of the slots as taught by the patent to Morrow above cited, that 515A departing from the spirit the utilization of the principles herein disclosed multiplies the average life of the device about twenty-five times, all other structural features remaining entirely the same. Thus when the average life of the earlier type sleeve was found to be around five' thousand applications oi' the brake. `the average life of the same structure incorporating the features of the present invention was above one hundred twenty-five thousand such applications.

Although but one i'orm otthe invention has been shown and described in detail, it will be understood that other embodiments are possible and that various changes might be made in the proportions and. design of the parts without of the invention as defined in the claims appended hereto.

What is claimed is:

i. In a 'coasten brake, a cylindrical brake member having longitudinal slots extending alternately from opposite ends, said slots terminating in generally triangular openings, the bases of said triangles being arranged substantially circumferentially o! the cylinder and being Joined4 to the sides thereof by smoothly curved fillets, the surfaces of said bases and fillets being rounded at the edges and polished.

2. In a' vehicle brake, an expansible cylindrical brake vmember in the i'orm oi' a sleeve having longitudinal slots entering at one end and termin nating adjacent the other end in enlarged openings formed to provide circumferentially extending strips of substantially uni/form cross section joining the segments of the cylinder.

3. In a' vehicle brake, an expansible cylindrical brake member in theform of a sleeve having longitudinal slots entering at one end and terminating adjacent the other end in enlarged open- Vings formed to provide circumferentially extending'strips oi' substantially uniform cross section Joining the segments of. the cylinder, said strips being Joined to said segments by smoothly curved tlilets, the fillets and adjacent surfaces, of ,the strips being smoothed and polished.

' FRANK T. CHRISTIAN. 

